When Light Fades to Darkness
by pale-blue11
Summary: Dark one-shots. Chapter 10: No Time to Heal. "Danny was going numb, not even able to feel the energy that was turning his skin black, melting the jumpsuit from his skin." Thanks to Deborahpflover for the title! And to The-Magnetic-Witch for suggesting I do this. Thanks, guys! Rated T for violence.
1. He Didn't Want to be Late

**He Didn't Want to be Late**

**{EDIT} Here's a list of all the one-shots in this story:**

**1. He Didn't Want to be Late- **_"That was a mistake," _Danny hissed, his voice echoing like before, only a bit stronger. _"You haven't learnt your lesson."_** Dash and Danny.**

**2. We'll be Inseparable- **Phantom was sitting on the bottom of the pool, eyes closed and white hair drifting around his face like mist. **Danny and Sam.**

**3. Flying and Falling- **The girl smiled along with him, mourning the life that he had missed out on. **Danny and Sam.**

**4. He Refused to Let Her Go- **"Hush, Sammy…" Phantom soothed, twirling a strand of hair around one of his fingers. "Don't worry. You're safe now. I'll keep you safe." **Danny and Sam.**

**5. Relief- **As he stumbled over to them, it was hard for him to miss the relief that showed in their eyes. **Danny.**

**6. Invisible- **That's what they told him. He was invisible. Only ghosts, only his enemies, were able to see him. **Danny, Sam, Tucker, Maddie and Jack.**

**{EDIT} I'm marking this as complete because it is, but I'll also be uploading one-shots to it whenever I get around to doing that.**

**Hey! pale-blue11 here!**

**I was in a strange mood when I thought of this, so it's a bit more gory than I had hoped...**

**Warning- Gets scary! It scares me- and I wrote it! You have been warned...**

**NOTE- Danny's having a ****_really _****bad day, so any OOCness is due to that**

**DISCLAIMER- I do not own Danny Phantom.**

**Enjoy:)**

Danny glowered at everyone ahead of him. Why wouldn't they move? The hallway became a swarming, swollen wave of slow-moving students. For a moment, he thought of just ducking into the closest classroom to go ghost. That would solve his problem- he could walk _through_ the human barrier that was currently on the way to earning him a second detention. He _really_ didn't want to be late- not today.

_It wasn't my fault_, Danny scowled, absently rubbing his aching shoulder. On the way to school, Valerie had spotted him. The large bruise was rapidly fading, but each student that pushed past him caused the area to flare, delaying the healing process. Danny bit back a cry of pain as a particularly large someone punched his shoulder. Already knowing who he would see, the ghost boy waited for his eyes to fade back to his natural blue colour before turning to glare at Dash.

The bully smirked, noticing Danny's discomfort, and clamped his hand down harder onto the aching shoulder, tightening like a vice. The ghost boy hissed quietly in anger, and shrugged off the agonising hold. Pushing determinedly through the crowd, Danny half-hoped that Dash would follow him. He had something special planned for the bully- what it was, Danny couldn't say, but a feeling of excitement uncurled within him, spreading through him like mist, a part of him. The energy felt good, but the edges were dark and rotten, diseased.

_There_, Danny thought, spotting the bathroom ahead. The crowd was slightly less dense, but still took some effort to get through. He felt numb with anticipation as he hurried through the door. Acting on instinct, his brain no longer switched on properly, Danny braced his hands on the edge of the sink, staring into his eyes. There was a challenge there, a teasing expression hidden in their depths. If Danny had been thinking clearly, that would have scared him, but, as he was, a small taunting smile crept across his face.

The door swung open so fast that it almost hit the wall. Dash, looking intimidating, entered the bathroom. It was abandoned except for the two boys, glaring at each other from their different positions.

"Think you could get away from me, did ya?" Dash jeered in his nasal voice. He let out a short laugh, eager to inflict some pain. "I hadn't finished, yet, Fenton."

Danny stopped glaring, though the dare in his eyes didn't fade. "I think we're finished, Dash."

The ghost boy felt a thrill rush through him as he predicted what would happen next. This should have happened a _long _time ago.

**DPDPDPDP**

Dash snarled and charged across the room, his shoes squeaking on the dirty tiles as he launched himself at Danny. The bully threw his victim against the wall, one hand wrapped in the material of his shirt. The boy's head hit the unresisting tiles with a sharp crack, but that maddening smile didn't waver- it was as if Danny hadn't even felt the blow, and that just served to infuriate Dash even further. There was something about the way Danny was acting that made the bully nervous- and he didn't like feeling nervous.

Pulling his free arm back, ready to do some damage, Dash waited for a reaction from Fenton. Still, none came. If anything, the smile grew. With a dark laugh, the jock shot his hand towards Danny's face. He yelped in pain when his fist connected with the tiles instead. But he hadn't missed; Dash's aim was spot-on. Somehow, impossibly, his hand had gone_through _Fenton's head, hitting the wall behind it.

The scene was terrifying- at least, to Dash it was. Danny grinned, with the jock's hand still lodged inside his head. It looked like an extra limb, growing from the middle of his forehead, right in the centre.

Dash screamed in terror and tried to yank his arm back, but he couldn't. It was stuck, and not even Dash Baxter's strength matched that of the monster before him.

_This isn't Fenton_, his mind told him in an eerily calm manner. Danny's eyes pierced him, as if the larger boy was being evaluated against some unknown requirement. They weren't the eyes that Dash was used to seeing; these were bright, challenging, taunting, and shone with a strange light- either the light of happiness or insanity. He didn't seem to notice the position of Dash's arm, or he just didn't care.

Danny's grinned even wider, exposing two rows of blindingly white teeth. They were blunt, normal, but terrifying in an entirely different way. Then, the ghost boy spoke. His voice was dull, and slightly bored, as if he were addressing a child. That's exactly what Dash felt like as he struggled to get away.

"_Don't even bother, Dash." _Danny ordered. His voice had a strange, echoing quality. It sounded close, but far, as if the sound was coming from several different locations at once.

Dash whimpered- he didn't like where this was going. There was something extremely… wrong… about Fenton. His first thought to ask if Danny was okay, but when he opened his mouth, something else escaped. The one word that he never thought he would have to say to his favourite victim.

"P-please! Please… d-don't-"

Danny laughed, and Dash cringed at the echoes. "_Don't what? Don't beat you up? Don't leave you here like this? Don't throw you into a locker?" _He leaned in close, forcing Dash's arm to bend painfully as he stumbled back. Then he hissed. _"Don't underestimate me_."

The jock fell back as his hand was released. Danny Fenton, the weak loser that was so easy to push around, was regarding him warily, seemingly back to normal. His shirt was crumpled, but that was the only difference in his appearance since Dash first confronted him. The boy's expression was back to usual- innocent and curious, as if he couldn't quite understand what was going on.

Dash scrambled to his feet, unable to tear his eyes away from the small boy standing in front of him. It was disconcerting how fast Danny's demeanour had changed; it was as if there were two beings co-existing in the one body.

_Maybe he's possessed,_ the jock reasoned, but that was no excuse for him showing weakness- _especially _in the presence of Fenturd. Angry and embarrassed, Dash stalked to the door. He turned and looked back at the seemingly powerless boy, who still hadn't moved. Even though there was no one to witness it, Dash couldn't help but add something as he pulled on the door handle.

"Freak," he muttered quietly.

**DPDPDPDP**

Danny's eyes flared a toxic green and widened in rage and disbelief. Did he really just hear that? Obviously, the bully hadn't learnt his lesson properly. Dash had gone too far this time, and he wouldn't get another chance. The ghost boy was at the door before Dash had time to open it further than a couple of inches, and it smashed shut with the sound of splintering wood as he threw his whole body against it.

Dash opened his mouth to scream, watching the floating apparition before him. Danny's eyes were a bright, glowing green- the shade that indicated his anger in human form. But they had never glowed this bright before, not even when he saw Dash and Sam kiss.

Danny lifted his bully up by the neck so that his feet dangled above the floor, relishing the surge of power. Not even the thought of Vlad-

_It feels good to use your powers on your enemies, doesn't it Daniel?_

-could deter him. Sydney Poindexter would be proud.

Dash tried to call for help, but only a small squeak could escape his obstructed throat. Danny leant in again, letting his eyes shine brighter and brighter until the bully had to close his eyes against their light.

_"That was a mistake," _Danny hissed, his voice echoing like before, only a bit stronger. _"You haven't learnt your lesson."_

With that, Dash was dropped on the ground, gasping for air. "No," he panted. "I can… I can st-stop."

The ghost boy laughed humourlessly. _"Too late."_

Danny felt a rush of adrenalin as he bent down, then slowly and purposefully reached a hand out toward Dash. His whole body was glowing, getting brighter by the second, and Danny could tell that the jock was both mesmerised and terrified by the aura. His gaze never once strayed from the ghost boy's hand.

Danny paused with his fingertips just barely grazing Dash's black shirt, then he plunged his arm in, all the way to the elbow.

**DPDPDPDP**

Dash screamed, though it was more from reflex than from pain. He could feel Fenton's hand inside him, probing and feeling, but it caused him no harm. Finally able, the jock dragged his eyes up to his tormentor's face, seriously reconsidering his decision to bully this particular nerd. Then, Fenton said something that almost literally stopped Dash's heart.

_"If I'm the good guy,"_ He cocked his head to the side, a questioning gesture. The light in Fenton's eyes was definitely insanity. There was nothing reasonable about it. _"Then what are you? You can't finally be the victim, can you?"_

Two blazing white rings appeared around Fenton's waist, travelling upwards until it reached the top and the transformation was complete. The scream died in Dash's throat. Here he was, finally meeting _the_ Danny Phantom, and his idol was the geek he used to bully. Emphasis on 'used to'. He doubted that he would ever get another chance to.

Phantom's hand was still in Dash's stomach, though it had stopped moving.

The insane ghost chuckled dementedly. _"Do you know what I'm going to do now?"_

Dash shook his head; he had no idea of what else to do.

Phantom seemed to like that answer. Dash couldn't tell if that was a good or a bad thing. He hoped it was good.

_"I'm going to slowly drop my intangibility,"_ a slight widening of the eyes indicated Dash's understanding. _"And…"_

He didn't have to elaborate.

"No," Dash protested. "P-please don't! I'll never bully you again- I s-swear! No. No." his voice rose to a shriek as his stomach began to burn. "_NO!"_

Danny smiled coldly and his hand _twisted._

**DPDPDPDP**

Mr Lancer pounded on the door. Despite it's broken structure, it wouldn't budge. Screams and yells emanated from within, silencing the students that were in hearing range. No one knew what was happening, but it didn't sound good.

Suddenly, the screams rose in intensity, before cutting off. The whole school paused and went mute, listening for another sound, but nothing else came.

Slowly, the door creaked open. The bathroom was red, blood running through the cracks in the tiles, pooling on the floor in shallow puddles. Dash Baxter was crumpled against the far wall, a gaping hole in his middle. There were two clean areas on the tiles, white footprints that contrasted horrifically in the bright crimson. As Mr Lancer and the students watched, the prints smeared, as if there was something still there.

Wet, slapping sounds reverberated around the bathroom as more footprints marred the blood. They weren't white, just shallow red indents, surrounded by frost. Slowly, they approached the alarmed observers, stopping just feet away from the closest member. There was a delighted, childlike laugh- then nothing. Everything went eerily silent once more.

**DPDPDPDP**

Danny tried not to laugh at the expressions on his classmates' faces. Some, he knew, were once friends with the deceased bully, but others would have felt the same relief as he had, a weight being lifted from their shoulders. There was no more Dash Baxter, and, after this, there probably never would be another.

_If there is, _Danny vowed, walking slowly and dramatically towards the door. _I can take care of them._

A grin that Dan would have been proud of split Danny's face as he came to a stop. Finally, he couldn't hold in the overjoyed laugh that bubbled inside of him. A small part of him told him to stop, this isn't right, you just killed a _human_. The warning was ignored. Dash had it coming, and it just felt so _right_ to put the bully in his place.

_But did you really need to kill him?_

Danny shrugged it off and flew, intangible and invisible, to his next class.

He didn't want to be late, after all.

**AN:**

**Hey! pale-blue11 here!**

**I'm sorry. I hate Dash, and this popped into my head as I was walking to school. Danny wasn't actually supposed to kill Dash, but he wanted to, so I let him.**

**My friend just got some horrible news, so I want to say I'm so sorry. I hope you're okay:'(**

**I'm really sad now, so I'm going to leave. Hopefully to write a happier fan-fic, but I don't like my chances.**

**Please review, favourite and/or follow. Because this is a one-shot, I will answer all reviews, just expect a delay.**

**{EDIT} I'm marking this as complete because it is, but I'll also be uploading one-shots to it whenever I get around to it.**

**Have a good day!**

**pale-blue11**


	2. We'll Be Inseparable

**We'll be Inseparable**

"Danny," Sam asked, looking up at her boyfriend. His white hair blew over his face in the slight breeze, the tips being illuminated by his glowing eyes.

He turned to her, and there it was- the guarded expression that had become disturbingly familiar. At first, it was a dream come true. Nothing could touch them, they were higher than the clouds- sometimes literally. But ever since the Disasteroid incident, Danny had been acting strange, and she couldn't deny or ignore that.

Sam surveyed her surroundings as she thought of what she had wanted to say. It was there, the speech that so badly needed to be voiced, but it wouldn't come. Instead, she looked down on Amity Park to give her inspiration. They were seated on the same hill as when Danny had skipped his ceremony, next the same tree, looking out at the same town; only this time, the town was shrouded in darkness. Just like Sam. She had no idea what had happened to Danny, no matter how desperately she wished to know.

"What is it, Sam?"

She looked up at him, silently begging him to tell her what was wrong, so that she wouldn't have to ask. When he said nothing else, Sam shook her head in disappointment and stood up. One time, Danny would have jumped up, alarmed at her departure, asking her what he had done. But… this wasn't the past. That Danny was gone, vanished to some distant place that no one could follow.

"I'm going home," Sam said with finality. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Danny nodded and went back to staring out at Amity Park, his expression stony and serious, as if he were deep in thought. Sighing, Sam turned away so that he wouldn't see the hurt on her face. She missed Danny. Her Danny.

But she couldn't get him back.

**DPDPDPDP**

Danny relaxed as soon as Sam left. He was trying to act normal, to be normal, around her, but he could tell that she knew something was wrong. The truth was, Danny missed his old life. The nostalgia washed over him like a tsunami, crushing him with its force and throwing him around as if he were nothing. Certainly not a hero.

His parents had accepted him, the town- the world- had accepted him, but he still wished for everything to be how it was. He wanted to sneak out of the house in the middle of the night, fight ghosts without a crowd surrounding him, be anonymous, unknown. But, most of all, he wanted a normal life. Not a human life, of course not. Danny wanted to live peacefully with Sam, her and Tucker aiding him in his ghost hunts. That's all.

_I'm alone_, Danny realised. He was alone. Sam had left without him noticing. _I'd better see where she went_.

Taking off into the night sky, the ghost boy surveyed the land, looking for his girlfriend. She was nowhere to be seen, and for the first time, Danny wondered how long ago she had disappeared. What if she was in trouble? Panic overshadowed the empty feeling in his gut, he was still terrified of losing her, of never seeing her again.

Maybe he could adjust to this new life eventually, hopefully, but not without Sam. Remorse welled up inside him as he realised just how ignorant he had been. Sam was his girlfriend, and he had been spending hardly any time with her- the moments when they were together always ended badly because Danny was living in the past, not planning for the future that he and Sam were destined for.

_I'll never leave her again_, Danny vowed. _We'll be inseparable_.

He knew where to find her now.

**DPDPDPDP**

Sam swiped angrily at her eyes. She was a Goth- she would not cry. Especially about something as trivial as a boy.

_Not just a boy_, her traitorous mind betrayed her. _Danny_.

Suddenly furious, Sam kicked her feet up out of her large indoor pool. Water flew out in a splendid arch, glistening in the dim, pale blue light. She pulled her knees up to her chest and leant on them, hiding her face in her hands and trying to control her breathing. For a few sweet moments, the world went black. Sam smiled behind her hands, relishing the darkness. Why couldn't her relationship with Danny be so simple? So pure and untainted?

Nothing could ever tarnish the darkness that lived inside her, not like her hope could be destroyed, time and time again.

The room went cold, the water like ice.

_Danny_! She looked up anxiously, eager to be with him- even though she was the one who had left first. Physically, at least. Who knew how long ago Danny's mind had been abandoned?

The pool lights had been switched off while she had her eyes closed. The room was now as black as Sam's daydream, though this darkness wasn't safe. It wasn't comforting. It was the kind of darkness that was filled with unimaginable… _things_. Evil beings that wouldn't hesitate to rip her to pieces.

"D-Danny?" Sam whispered, both anticipating and dreading the answer simultaneously.

Slowly, the level of light rose. Sam scanned the large room, searching for the ghost boy. He must be causing the eerie glow, but it seemed to have no source. It radiated from everywhere at once. She stood up carefully, creeping towards the edge of the room. Her feet slapped wetly on the pavers, leaving vaguely luminous prints.

"Sam."

She turned slowly to face the pool, wary of what she might find. That had been Danny's voice, but there was something... not _right_ about it. Again, she examined the room, but this time, a strange sight made her pause.

Phantom was sitting on the bottom of the pool, eyes closed and white hair drifting around his face like mist. He looked calm, peaceful, and those feelings gradually infused themselves into Sam.

Danny's eyes opened, and he smiled.

**DPDPDPDP**

He loved it down there. The water washed over him like silky glass, sweet and tranquil, allowing him to collect these characteristics and calm himself. As a ghost, Danny had no need to breathe. He was completely content to sit at the bottom of the pool and reflect, uncaring of the outside world. But he had something to do.

'_I'll never leave her again,_' he had promised, and he had every intention of honouring that commitment.

There she was, her feet dangling in the water ahead of him. Danny didn't have to open his eyes to know this, his ghost senses told him so. She couldn't see him- that much was certain. He was invisible, hidden to normal human eyes. As Sam pulled her feet out of the pool, Danny reached out with his power, short-circuiting all of the lights, and leaving the two of them in darkness. His energy made the environment several degrees cooler.

"D-Danny?"

He heard the question, but decided not to answer. She would know eventually.

Slowly, Danny became visible, allowing his ghostly aura to light up the room. The glow reflected from the water, causing it to look as if it were coming from several places at once. Eyes still closed, Danny watched as Sam retreated to the wall. He knew she had seen him by the sudden change in mood. Worry and slight fear stained the air and water like permanent ink. Was she afraid of him?

Danny opened his eyes. They lit the tips of his hair with a green hue and made the water turn a pale emerald. He saw Sam relax, calm down. This made him smile.

_I'll never leave her again._

No, and he would make sure that _she_ would never leave _him_ again. Neither of them would be alone, isolated- not for the rest of their lives, or even after that.

Danny looked up at his girlfriend, a small smile dancing on his lips. He was saving her from the loneliness that he was sure she felt, despite the numerous people trying to befriend her now.

_We'll be inseparable_.

He tilted his head slightly to the left, inviting her in. Sam smiled back at him, visibly relaxing. Then she slipped into the water. Its surface barely rippled and there was no splash from her smooth entry. Danny didn't move from his position on the bottom of the pool, so Sam swam down to join him, entwining her hand in his. The scene was just like he had always imagined it, but there was one difference. His intentions had changed slightly.

_I'll never leave her again._

**DPDPDPDP**

Danny turned both him and Sam intangible. The water went through and around them, allowing them both to breathe. It washed through the pair as if it were cleansing them of any impurities, getting rid of the doubt in Sam's mind. So what if Danny wasn't exactly how he had been? Everyone's allowed to change.

His smile seemed genuine, reassuring, but that guarded expression was still in his eyes. It hurt.

For just a few seconds, they looked at each other, Danny's glow lighting up the water and causing beautiful silver patterns to blossom on the ceiling.

_I wish_... Sam thought, but was unable to finish. What did she want? _Danny_.

As if he could read her thoughts, Danny spoke. His words had an echo, just like usual, and it was easy to imagine that they were sitting under their tree, not underwater.

"I wish we could do this again," he said, and his eyes glowed brighter. From what, Sam couldn't tell.

"Yes," she breathed. "We should do this again."

There was no answer, but Danny's hold on her hand tightened.

"Danny?" Sam asked. "Could you let go a little? You're hurting me."

The grip loosened, but her hands still ached. Danny looked up at her imploringly. "Promise that you won't leave me."

"Of course I won't."

The ghost boy's expression turned dark and cold. "You can't."

The bones in her hands were grinding together painfully. "Danny," she gasped. "I already said I wouldn't leave! Let go!"

He grinned, tightening his hold. Then, he leant forward and whispered in her ear. "Never again.

"I'll never leave you again. We'll be inseparable."

Sam screamed as she felt the weight of the water over her head.

_He wouldn't… would he?_

Taking a look at Danny's face, Sam's fears were confirmed. That determination was the expression she had seen countless times before, but never had she been so terrified of it. His eyes had never seemed so _empty_.

Bubbles escaped her mouth as she continued to scream at him, her curses muffled and gradually getting weaker. With the last of her strength, Sam propelled herself towards the surface of the water. She gasped in relief as her head broke through to air. Her throat rasped as she gratefully breathed it in, too focused to notice Danny appear next to her.

**DPDPDPDP**

He glared at Sam's weak form, the light in the room going the toxic green of his eyes. She didn't truly love him- why else was she trying to escape? But Danny had made a promise, and it was one he planned to fulfill.

_I'll never leave her again._

As Sam drew in another hoarse, desperate breath, Danny pulled her towards himself, so that they were face to face. He studied the features that were so familiar to him, reaching out a hand to clear the wet hair out of her eyes. She stared back fearfully.

_We'll be inseparable._

"Don't do this, Danny," she pleaded. "_Please_."

He looked back incomprehensibly. "I have to."

As Sam began to speak again, Danny dragged her down. Her words were lost in a cloud of bubbles. A bright, silver light illuminated the pool as Fenton replaced Phantom, plunging the room into complete darkness.

Neither of the pair saw each other die, but both breathed their last at the same time, convulsing as the water entered their lungs.

**DPDPDPDP**

"Samantha?" Mrs Manson called. There was no answer. "Samantha? Where are you?"

Jeremy looked at his wife from behind the newspaper. "I think she's in the pool."

Pamela glanced at him gratefully before leaving to find her daughter. Sometimes she wished that they lived in a smaller house, it would make it a lot easier to find people. Maybe she should ask the butler to look for Samantha... No. She had to find her herself. Pamela had grown distant from her daughter lately, and that distance had only increased since that horrid ghost boy and Sam had begun to date. So, tomorrow, Pamela planned to take her daughter out- wherever Samantha wished to go.

Finally arriving at the door to the pool room, Pamela hesitated. There were absolutely no sounds emanating from within, and no light shone through the gap around the door. A hollow feeling spread through Pamela's stomach, dread causing her heartbeat to accelerate dramatically. Something wasn't right.

Gathering up her courage, Pamela knocked quietly, glancing at her wrist as she did so. The small, elegant watch told her that it was just a few minutes before midnight.

When there was no reply from the other side of the door, Pamela opened it. The room before her was dark and quiet. The only sounds were the faint lapping of water hitting the sides of the pool. Frowning, she felt around the doorframe for the light switch.

The pool lights turned on in a brilliant shade of silver, brighter than Pamela had ever seen them. She gasped and averted her eyes in pain. Small tears squeezed out from beneath her closed eyelids, but the light eventually faded to a cool glow.

_She's not in here_, Pamela decided, rubbing her eyes. She turned to leave, but something caused her hand to pause on the switch. A feeling of foreboding grew inside her, fear tightening itself around her heart. Breathing heavily, Mrs Manson twisted her body until she was facing the water.

With the light now dimmed, she could see what had been hiding there previously.

All she could do was stare. The two bodies drifted near the bottom of the pool. A scream started to form at the base of her throat as she recognized her daughter. Danny's hand was clamped around her wrist, and even from the doorway, Pamela could see the bone-breaking force of his grip. Samantha looked terrified, her eyes wide open as she fearfully anticipated death. Danny had a serene expression, calm as the water and just as deadly. A small smile graced his lips.

Pamela stumbled forward, a hand clawing out towards her daughter. She stopped at the edge of the pool and fell to her knees, fingers just lightly trailing in the water.

"Samantha," she whispered. "Sam."

Another voice intruded on her moment, quietly echoing around the room. It sent shivers down Pamela's spine, causing her whole body to shudder, and that barely-contained scream broke free. Somehow, the whisper seemed louder than her cries.

_"We'll be inseparable."_

**AN:**

**Hey! pale-blue11 here!**

**I just bought season 2 of Danny Phantom, so I'm in an incredibly happy mood :D I decided to upload this! It's been sitting on my laptop for about a week now…**

**I hope you liked it! Like with my other one-shots, they kinda write themselves. Again- they weren't meant to die. It was meant to be a nice conversation at the bottom of the pool. Oops!**

**BIG thank you to The-Magnetic-Witch for suggesting I make a series of these twisted one-shots :) Next idea is already in my head!**

**And another big thank you to Deborahpflover for helping me with this!**

**I have always wanted to sit at the bottom of a pool and just… sit there. Not have to go up for air.**

**Please review, favourite and/or follow! Because this is a one-shot, I will answer all reviews- just expect a delay.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Have a good day!**

**pale-blue11**


	3. Flying and Falling

**Flying and Falling**

**AN:**

**This is an AU where Danny is a full ghost and never met Sam personally.**

The Sun was less than a sliver of blinding light, turned orange in the evening. Clouds drifted lazily across the sky. Colour gradually began to seep through, illuminating them from within. In the midst of all this, the ghost boy flew.

His arms outstretched, expression peaceful, the glow that surrounded grew in radiance as he tumbled gracefully through the sky. The clouds were cool and left small droplets of moisture in his glowing, silver hair. The liquid, like dew, glistened by the light that was left behind by the Sun. The sky shone as if it had been set on fire, making the ghost boy feel small and insignificant.

Then, he would look down.

His old town lay beneath him. Slowly, the streetlights were flickering into existence, accompanied by houses and apartment blocks that were also lamenting the loss of the Sun. Multi-coloured cars drove along the roads, on the way home to family and friends.

The ghost boy watched this process- as he did every night- with a small, sad smile.

**DPDPDPDP**

She watched him. He was there again- the ghost boy. His mournful dance lulled her into a sense of security, of belonging. He came every night, and had done se ever since the girl could remember. She couldn't seem to tear her amethyst eyes off of his small form.

The girl didn't know why he did it- why he flew every sunset. Maybe he was there to farewell the day? Maybe he was there to taunt the ghost hunters that just couldn't seem to catch him?

As the colour began to bleed out of the clouds, the ghost boy paused and looked down. As with every night, the girl's breath caught in her throat. He looked so… sad.

Maybe, he was just there to remember.

In one last burst of desperation, the Sun set out another burst of light. It seemed to surround the ghost boy, turning his silver hair as red as the clouds behind him. His searching gaze passed over the town, and he began to drift closer to the tops of the buildings.

The girl smiled along with him, mourning the life that he had missed out on.

A green blast of energy, contrasting against the blood-filled sky, pierced the air with a loud whine. It crackled around the ghost boy, pulling a scream from his lips… then he fell.

The girl's eyes widened in shock and fear as he plummeted out of the sky- all grace lost.

The clouds lost their colour, the town grew silent, and nothing but the ghost boy moved. He made no sound as his broken body hit the roof of a tall apartment block, in full view of everyone and everything.

His glow sputtered and grew dim, eventually flickering out of existence.

As the light left the sky, all remaining energy left the ghost boy.

The Sun set on another day.

**AN:**

**Hey! pale-blue11 here!**

**I wrote this as an english assignment, so that's why it's so vague and I didn't really use names :) I hope it wasn't too confusing- the ghost boy is Danny, the girl is Sam, the flash of green light was probably his parents- I dunno. Also, Danny has been a full ghost for quite a while. It's kinda his habit to do this every evening :)**

**Has anyone seen '****_Under the Dome'_****? So scary! D: ...I have to watch it again!**

**So, I hope you like this :) It's a bit different to the rest of these one-shots, but... oh well! :)**

**Please review, favourite and/or follow :) I'll reply to reviews!**

**Also, I wrote another one-shot that would fit into this series, but I uploaded as separate :) If you're interested, it's called '_Even After a Year_'. Please check it out :)**

**Have a nice day!**

**pale-blue11**


	4. He refused to let her go

**He refused to let her go**

**AN:**

**Hey! Just some stuff you need to know:**

**-Phantom Planet happened.**

**-Sam's ghost powers came from too much contact with ghost material. Tucker didn't get any coz his diet gives him a higher resistance to all that.**

**-If you don't like violence and angst, I don't know why you're here. Be warned.**

**-I'm really cold right now.**

"Wha- what?" Danny stammered. His expression, as always, was an open book for Sam to read. "When were you going to _tell_ me?"

"Now. When I thought you might be ready to listen."

"Oh, no," The ghost boy skittered backwards; gloved hands held out as if to ward off the words that he could hear. "You _cannot_ be serious! I- you… you can't-"

"Fight ghosts?" Sam crossed her arms, glaring in annoyance. "Do you think I haven't done that before? For God's sake, Danny," she threw her hands up into the air. "Haven't I proven myself?"

"I… I need to sit down."

Danny groped behind him for the kitchen chair. It was a good thing his parents weren't home- he didn't want them to see Sam… like this. They would blame him, and maybe it was his fault.

He examined her a bit closer. Sam's amethyst eyes were still the same shade of purple, but they glowed with more than determination. Short, black hair floated around her beautiful face, surrounding it like an eerie, living frame. Her clothes had stayed the same, but a violet glow proclaimed that she was no longer fully human. She was the fourth halfa.

Sam's expression softened slightly when she saw the distress on Danny's face. "Danny? I really need you to understand."

The ghost boy finally found the chair, falling into it with a loud sigh. He closed his green eyes and gently massaged them. "But I don't understand. What is it about my life that people find so thrilling?"

"Maybe," Sam said as she walked over and placed an arm around his shoulders. "It's because it _is_ thrilling."

Danny scoffed disbelievingly. Hearing the small noise, Sam bent down and kissed the top of his head.

"Think about it, Danny," she continued. "You get to fight ghosts while the rest of us are in school! You have all these powers- flight, intangibility, strength… do you want me to go on?"

"No…" Danny chuckled. He raised his head, staring straight into Sam's eyes with the sorrow and anguish evident for her to see. "But… why'd it have to be _you_?"

Sam withdrew her arm, frowning. Her voice came out sharper than she had intended. "Why _couldn't_ it be me? I'm capable!"

"Oh yeah?" the chair scraped against the tiled floor and tipped over as Phantom stood. He leant towards Sam, until their faces were almost touching. "And who says that? I didn't see you in that battle against Pariah Dark! And what did you do to stop the Disasteroid? You _watched_ as other people did all the hard stuff!"

"I would stop now," Sam growled, but Danny was only growing more and more animated by the second, his voice increasing in volume.

"I never allowed you or Tucker to fight the tough ghosts with me, so what makes you think I would let you endanger your life like I do _every day?_" He yelled.

"Well, it didn't work, did it?" Sam shouted over the top of him. "All your _protection_, all of your _help_? I'm still half-dead- just like you!"

"_You're not just like me_!" Sam fell silent at his roar of anger, feeling herself shrink beneath his glare. "I had to _work_ to get where I am today! You're just… you're just…"

"Just what?"

Danny paused and gave her an unreadable look, as if he were considering something important. Then, he turned and stalked out of the kitchen. At the door, he stopped.

"C'mon," Phantom said without glancing back. "Lets settle this."

His boots disappeared through the ceiling, Sam following close behind.

**DPDPDPDP**

The sun had just vanished below the horizon. It cast Danny's face in shadow, hiding it from Sam's view. His eyes, however, glowed brighter than the stars that were beginning to make an appearance.

"Beat me," he said emotionlessly, flying higher above the Ops Centre. "And I'll consider letting you fight."

"I don't need your _permission_, Danny," Sam glowered at her boyfriend. She doubted that they would be together for too much longer after this. "I can do what I want."

The glow of Danny's eyes increased in intensity, until most of his face was hidden behind the light.

"Then show me how much you want this," he snarled, mouth twisted in hatred.

Sam hesitated, worried about both of their safety, and that gave Danny just the opening that he needed. Twin beams of energy shot at the ghost girl. The first she managed to avoid, but the second hit her combat boot. The thick material bubbled as the blast ate through it like acid. With a panicked cry, she tore off the shoe and tossed it away. When Sam turned her attention back to the fight, she couldn't find Danny. But he hadn't disappeared; she knew that he was still there somewhere. The question was… where?

"Poor Sammy," the dark chuckle sounded from her left. Sam spun around… but there was nothing, save for the few lonely clouds that drifted across the evening sky. They were the colour of flames, like a burning city in the sky.

"Always going where she doesn't belong," Sam whirled again, but knew that she wouldn't see him. "Where she isn't _welcome_."

"Danny," the girl said, hoping that he couldn't hear the tremble in her voice. "Stop hidi-"

"I will when you stop being something you're not."

"And how do you know what I am?"

A cold, invisible hand slipped over Sam's mouth, muffling her shout of surprise.

"Hush, Sammy…" Phantom soothed, twirling a strand of hair around one of his fingers. "Don't worry. You're safe now. I'll keep you safe."

Sam struggled, but Danny let her go fairly easily. He smiled at her warmly, but there was no warmth in his cold gaze.

"I don't _want_ your protection, Danny!" She told him sternly, attempting to make up for her earlier moment of weakness. "I don't _need_ your help all the time!"

The ghost boy laughed quietly, shaking his head as if to mock her. "But you _do_ need my help, Sammy! Whether you know it or not- you need me."

"Stop calling me Sammy," the girl growled.

"Why not? 'Cause it's not 'unique' enough?" Danny crossed his arms tightly. "Is that also why you had to become half-ghost?"

Sam looked at him with an incredulous expression. "Of course not! Although… I can see where this is headed."

Danny snorted. "Oh yeah? Really?"

"Yeah," filled with new confidence, Sam flew higher, until she was above Phantom. He made no attempt to get any closer. "I've worked out why you don't want me here.

"Imagine you, Danny Phantom, having to share Amity Park with yet _another_ halfa! You don't want another hero here, do you? You want to be the only being that can save the town- and _I'm_ just competition."

Danny glared at her, but Sam could feel her fear evaporating into the air around her.

"I thought you were better than that, _Phantom_," she continued in a softer voice. "Danny. I thought you were a good person. All this anger and… and jealousy… you're more like Vlad than we thought."

Again, he vanished from view. With her courage all spent, Sam could finally think about what she had said… and it wasn't good. If Danny had been mad before, he must be absolutely murderous by now.

"_I am nothing like him_," the hiss echoed, coming from several directions at once. Sam, knowing that there was little she could do, closed her eyes.

Maybe Danny was right; maybe she wasn't ready for this.

But before she could speak, Sam felt cool breath on the back of her neck. She shivered as cold lips pressed against her shoulder. They continued to get closer to her jaw… then stopped. Sam shuddered.

"You may be half-ghost now," Phantom murmured, shimmering into view with less than an inch between them. His cold seeped into Sam, turning her bones to ice. "But we can still die."

His hands clamped around her forearms like vices, leaving marks on the skin.

Sam's eyes grew wide in fear, begging him to stop, but the determination in his gaze was unwavering.

"Wait, Danny," she gasped, her vision going cloudy with terror. "Danny, d-don't… please, let me go."

All of her energy was draining into him against her will. She felt as if he were sucking the life out of her, but of course it would never be so simple.

"I don't want to leave you, Sam," he whispered. Her head lolled back; she was too weak to hold it up. "But you wouldn't listen. It will… this is for your own good."

"No… D-Dan…"

Gravity started to take hold, dragging the two teenagers towards the ground at a speed that both terrified and exhilarated them both. Mainly terrified.

"Danny, Danny," Sam muttered, her voice rising as the ground approached. "Danny, Danny, _the road_!"

They hit with a sickening crunch.

As with all horrific accidents, people flocked to see what the small crater in the middle of the street contained. A boy and a girl, both well known, were locked in each other's embrace. The girl's face was twisted in panic and despair, but the boy… the boy was smiling.

Even in death, he refused to let her go.

**AN:**

**Hey! pale-blue11 here!**

**So, feel free to ask me any questions about this :) I welcome that! I hope you like it. This idea came from missafrolatina. I said I'd write her something coz I got 7 reviews from her just last night! :D One of those reviews helped me reach 100 on Arctic Burn! (hee hee... sorry, Deborah :) I haven't forgotten you! You're awesome, too :)) So, I said I'd do it, and here it is! Dedicated to missafrolatina :)**

**Please review and tell me how I went :) Next story should be here soonish :P**

**Have a nice day! I'm gonna sleep... (It's cold! :D)**

**pale-blue11**


	5. Relief

**Relief**

Relief.

That's all he wanted. Relief from the troubles that always seemed to find him. Ghosts, teacher, parents, friends… maybe they didn't realise it, but they were all contributing to this moment. Danny stared down at the water below. The waves rolled and crashed against the cliff face. He remembered when he had saved that bus of children right… there. They had cheered, and he had smiled. But he hadn't been happy. Who he was on the inside rarely showed on the outside.

That's why he needed this. Look at the sea; it could do whatever it wanted. It could beat down on the rocks that formed its boundaries, crushing them into small fragments of what they once were. It could carry people safely across its surface, then turn around and create a ferocious storm that had them clinging to their life rafts. It could do so many different things, but most importantly…

It could take a life.

The foaming whitecaps enticed the ghost boy. His dull, green eyes were the colour of the seaweed that was being tossed around mercilessly in the in-coming tide. The only light came from the morning sun- no light shone around the ghost boy's defeated form. It hadn't for a _long_ time.

But no one had noticed. No one had cared when Phantom was thrown into nearby buildings, roads, vehicles. No one heard the crack of his bones breaking. Because ghosts can't feel, can they? Well, this one could. But not for much longer.

Phantom didn't even bother to brush the clinging sand off of his torn suit. Ectoplasm caused the grit to shine faintly with a toxic, green glow. The ghost stared at it mournfully, though he had no idea why. Perhaps in some ways, the sand reminded him of himself- always desperately trying to hold on to some degree of stability, of safety. Those luxuries had abandoned the ghost boy many months ago. About the same time that he gained his powers.

About the time that he _first_ died.

He had almost killed himself then, when he had so much going right in his life. So now, when everything was going wrong, what was there that could possible stop him from succeeding?

Phantom remembered the last time he had seen his friends. They were smiling at him, proud of his latest accomplishment, but he had seen what they really felt. As he stumbled over to them, it was hard for him to miss the relief that showed in their eyes. Relief that the big, bad ghost had been beaten back to wherever it came from. Relief that _everyone _was safe.

No one had seen the hole in Phantom's chest. The hole that could kill him, if he let it. And he wouldn't.

He hadn't let them see it. Even while ectoplasm stained his white gloves green, while his knees shook from the strain of holding him up, he didn't want to see them hurt. And it would hurt them, Phantom knew, if they really knew what his thoughts contained. If he died in front of them, they would never heal.

So, in a voice that trembled almost as much as he did, the ghost boy made his excuses and left. With a wound that would render him fully dead in less than an hour, he went to this spot by the edge of the road, and prepared to die.

It was funny- he didn't even recognise the ghost, but it still managed to kill him. He could feel the weakness seeping through his body, weighing down his bones. All Phantom wanted to do was sit down again, but he was never one to give in to his opponents. There were no witty comebacks this time, but he'd be damned if he surrendered quietly.

Nothing could kill Danny Phantom.

Except, maybe… himself.

Just one last flight. To soar above the water; float among the clouds; glide into the horizon, away from his responsibilities… that's what he wanted.

Relief from the troubles that always seemed to find him.

His stained and dirty boots left the ground for the last time. Phantom's face was a mask of determination and effort. The hole in his chest pumped ectoplasm even harder than before. The thick, green liquid spattered onto the sand where he had previously been sitting, like an ugly abstract painting.

Phantom paid it no mind, grunting in pain as he climbed in altitude.

As he flew higher and higher, towards the morning sun, his worries just scattered. They were lost, as was he. A foreign emotion erupted within him. Relief. He was finally free.

The ghost boy fell, plummeting into the waves. More dead than alive, the water tore at his limp body. Eventually, he dissolved- much like the rocks that formed the sea's boundary. Nothing was left.

_To soar above the water; float among the clouds…_

Maybe next time.

**AN:**

**Hey! pale-blue11 here!**

**You must be getting sick of these one-shots by now... anyway, I wanted to try write another story without any dialogue. Keyword=relief, because my friend said I should write something to do with that word.**

**Mainly, I wrote this to tell whoever's interested that I'll be away for a couple of weeks- hopefully less.**

**~time skip~ argh! My mum just DOESN'T get it! We got our school reports today, and I got 6/7 for Maths Advanced. There are other people in Maths Normal who got 7/7. My point is 'why do I bother putting in the extra effort in Maths if I could go to a different class and be GUARANTEED full marks?!' They mark us harder in Extension because we're meant to be better at it, but if other people get a higher grade for doing LESS, WHY ARE ANY OF US IN EXTENSION?! We should all just go down to Normal and get graded on the same level as everyone else. So Mum's saying that our whole class SHOULDN'T get higher marks BECAUSE we're doing harder Maths. WHERE IS THE LOGIC IN THAT?! I mean, I'm happy with my grade- really, really happy- but I just want her to understand my reasoning. Has this type of thing happened to anyone else?**

**...anyway. Now SHE'S upset -_- yeah... tomorrow should be fun- 8 hours in the car.**

**So... please review this one-shot. I need something to get me through the next few weeks. And a few single-word prompts (like 'relief') would be appreciated. I'll try work them into a story while I'm away.**

**Thanks to everyone who read, followed, favourited and/or reviewed the last chapter. Happy holidays!**

**And have a good day.**

**pale-blue11**


	6. Invisible

**Invisible**

Invisible.

That's what they told him. He was invisible. Only ghosts, only his enemies, were able to see him.

But he saw everyone. Sam, Tucker, his parents, Jazz. He had screamed out to them, begging for their attention. Essentially, that was what had gotten him into this mess. He wanted them to be proud of him, to see him as the hero that he so desperately wanted to be. Maybe if he hasn't tried so hard, they would have still been able to see him, still been able to hear him.

He had used up all of his energy sometime ago, according to his enemies. Now there was nothing left. It took a certain amount of power for a ghost to become visible, but Danny was never really a ghost. Not a ghost, not a boy. How could someone truly know who they without knowing what they are? And what is someone without a solid identity?

Sure, he had been called many names. Ghost boy, Phantom, halfa... They weren't all, he knew, but each day more and more of him seemed to slip away. Soon, there would be nothing left.

All of the physical things he had collected from his past were also fading, disappearing. His old room was covered in cobwebs. Whenever he sat down on the bed, he expected a large cloud of dust to envelope his sorrowful form, causing him to cough and splutter. But of course, that never happened. The world didn't notice him.

He was invisible.

Sam and Tucker never visited anymore. Phantom thought back to when he had last seen them, straining his memory for every detail.

The air had been full of thick, choking dirt. It hid everything under a brown covering, making it hard to find anyone. Phantom had floated through the cloud, searching for his only friends as if in a daze. They should have been there, in the cafeteria. Then, he could see them. Sam's black clothing had been disguised under a layer of dust, and Tucker's beret was brown with dirt, but there was no denying who they were.

Danny had grinned. He had found them, finally. They were sprawled out on the ground, coughing. Their breath came out in hopeless, wheezing gasps. Phantom lay out on the floor beside them, looking into their flushed faces with an expression of bewilderment. He began to cough, too, mimicking them in an attempt to understand. But he didn't. He couldn't.

Sam's breathing had grown weaker. Dust coated her lilac lips, causing Phantom to frown. Gently, he reached out to wipe the dirt from her face. But no matter how many times he tried, his gloved hand just went through her. As tears had fallen from his glowing eyes, leaving a silvery trail running down his cheeks, her breathing had slowed... and eventually stopped.

Tucker had rolled onto his back, chest heaving with effort as he struggled to force more air into his lungs. By that time, he had been inhaling more dust than air.

Danny had sat up on his knees, watching them with a confused expression. What was happening? There were some things in life that he hadn't understood, but it seemed to him that there were more mysteries involved with death.

That was the last time he had seen them. They didn't visit anymore. And why should they? He was invisible, there would be no point. Phantom also knew from experience that they couldn't hear him.

His parents still visited. They still came to see what was left of their son. A gravestone in the local cemetery- but that was all they noticed. It was plain but heartfelt, and it seemed to mean the world to them. Jazz never came. She had disappeared about him around the same time as Sam and Tucker. Whatever had happened that day, Phantom didn't care. But he still missed them, even if they had seemingly forgotten about him.

The sounds of quiet footsteps broke the ghost boy out of his trance-like state. His parents, looking older than ever, approached him. The woman walked a bit further and placed a small, white flower on his grave, then clasped her hands together and turned back to the man. He enveloped her in his large arms and spoke to her quietly.

Neither noticed the sad, invisible ghost that held them as they cried.

He was invisible.

**AN:**

Hey! pale-blue11 here1

**This was one of the things I wrote while I was away. Some of you might know that I actually got back early :D but I waited until now to upload this. Reason? I've decided that I'm going to be posting ****_something_**** from one of my stories every Tuesday. It'll probably be random as to what story I update, but that's what's happening :) Tuesday's because I go away a lot for the weekends -_-**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and to Ghostfudge160 and Deborahpflover for the words :) I've already written for 'lost' and 'escape', so they'll come eventually :) also, I'm writing a longer story that could be a part of this- I'll tell you when it comes :)**

**Please review, favourite and/or follow this story!**

**And have a nice day :)**

**pale-blue11**


	7. Lost

**Lost (word prompt by ****_Ghostfuge160_****)**

**THINGS TO KNOW:**

**-This takes place in the middle of a desert... thing**

**-Danny and Jazz have been walking for a few hours**

**-It's night**

**-I don't know the name of the team Jazz creates(?) I need to watch that again...**

Her body was like a large weight in his arms as he tripped over the rough terrain. Neither he nor Jazz could remember how they had gotten out there, in the middle of nowhere, but if they didn't get out soon...

The sun had disappeared little over an hour ago, but already the temperature was freezing. Danny's breaths came out in large clouds, much like his ghost sense, but Jazz's were small. She was getting weaker.

"Danny," Jazz murmured, opening her tired eyes and fixing them on his.

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you," her quiet words broke off into a large fit of coughing. Danny stopped walking and watched her with worry creasing his face. "Why d-don't you fl-fly?"

"I can't," Danny said, walking forward again. He could feel his sister's long, orange hair rubbing against his leg, and it made him even more desperate to get them both out of the situation that they were in. "It's even colder up there, and I don't know how far it is to civilization."

Jazz didn't answer, but her trembling slowed, then stopped. A smile blossomed on her face.

"Jazz?" Danny asked in alarm. "Are you okay? Jazz?"

She didn't reply for a long time. Danny continued to shake her limp body, calling her name. Then, he heard her small voice.

"Tell me a story, Danny. A nice one."

"A-a nice story?" He asked, trying to think of one. "Like what?"

She was even quieter when she next spoke. "A memory."

"Oh, okay," Danny stammered. "What about when... you first started fighting ghosts with us? Remember? The 'Ghost Getters'?"

He broke off, laughing. "Boy, that sure wasn't fun at the time, but..."

Jazz didn't reply. Danny looked down at her anxiously, but thought he could detect the small movement of her chest going up and down.

"But... r-remember?" He asked shakily. "You sucked me into the Thermos three times. Even th-the _Box G-Ghost _escaped!

"A-and what about before y-you knew about Pha-Phantom? You almost ki-killed me when you said you knew my secret! R-remember? You s-said that you knew my s-se-secret, I spat out m-my water, then you said I ha-had a _g-girlfriend!_"

Danny had stopped walking, shaking from the force of his laughter, but Jazz still did little more than smile. Her eyes were closed, but Danny knew that she had been listening.

"There were s-so many near-misses. M-Mum and Dad... I h-haven't thanked y-you nearly en-enough for cov-covering for me. So th-thank you. Thank you, J-Jazz. You're a gr-great big s-sister. I'll g-get us out of-of th-this. Both o-of u-us."

The air had gotten cooler; there were no clouds to trap in the warmer temperatures. Only the stars shone ahead, the moon lighting their path through the loose rocks and dead plants. A thin, silver line ran through the landscape. Danny's eyes widened when he saw it.

"Look, J-Jazz!" He grinned, weary feet gaining more energy from the sight. "A road! We-we're almost ho-home!"

Whatever response he had been expecting, Danny didn't receive it. Panting from exhaustion, he heaved himself and Jazz closer to the finish. They were going to make it, he was sure, but no matter how far he ran, the road wasn't coming closer. Desperation filled him. They _had _to reach the road, they just _had _to. Or...

No, he wouldn't think that.

Jazz _would_ survive... but she wasn't moving. At all.

"H-hey, Jazz," Danny whispered, trying not to cry. He stopped walking. "Do y-you remember wh-when you th-thought I was dead. How did you feel? 'Cause... I-I think I kn-know."

Gently, Danny laid her on the ground, laying her head on his lap. He stroked a hand through her thick, orange hair, turning it darker with his tears.

"Did you feel like... l-like you failed as a-a sister? Did y-you blame yo-yourself?" Her face was cold, tinged blue in the moonlight. "Were you so... _l-lost_ that... you h-had absolutely n-no id-idea what to d-d-do? 'Cause I dunno wh-what I'm doing, J-Jazz! I d-dunno what t-to do with-without y-y-you.

"You can't h-hear me, c-can you? Y-you've g-gone on w-without me."

Danny lunged forward, jolting Jazz's body violently. He grabbed her hand feverishly, his voice and actions frantic.

"Take m-me with y-you, Ja-Jazz! Sh-show me h-how t-to foll-follow! _Please, Jazz, _he-help me d-die."

His face was buried in her hair, clawed hands grappling at her shoulders. He sobbed, the words no longer meaning anything. She was gone, and he wanted nothing more than to chase her, calling out her name, until they were together again.

"_P-please,"___he whispered, rocking them back and forth. His voice shook, the cold finally reaching him, but it was taking its time. "_Ple-please... let m-me come w-with y-you-you. Please, J-Jazz."_

Light shone behind Danny's closed eyes, warm and comforting. His trembling intensified, but tears ceased. Sore, tired, and cold, he raised his head towards the being in front of him.

At first, it looked just as if some heavenly force had captured a piece of the sun, placing it less than three meters away from the weary ghost boy and his sister's body. It was brightest at the centre, getting slightly dimmer around the edge. Thin bands, ribbons, of multi-coloured light danced and wove an intricate pattern around it, until it formed a face.

Jazz.

"_Come on, Danny,_" she said, her voice echoing across the desert landscape. "_You didn't think I'd forget about you, did you?"_

Then she laughed, a sweet, melodic sound. A hand reached out of the light, held palm up in welcoming.

Danny stared at it longingly, more tears flooding his eyes. "But J-Jazz, I-I-I can't."

"_Isn't this what you were just asking for?" _Jazz asked, retracting the hand."_To follow me_?"

"But I p-promised y-you... I-I s-said that I'd ge-get us out o-of this."

"_You don't have to be the hero all the time, Danny," _Jazz smiled, once again reaching out for him. "_Just this once, let me help you."_

This time, Danny accepted her outstretched hand. His own shimmered as they touched, warmth filling him. It felt like hope, like belonging...

Like family.

Just before the light blocked out his vision, Danny looked back at the desolate land behind him. And at the two children in the middle of it, less than a kilometre from safety. While remorse still made him feel sick, Danny realised that he'd been waiting for this moment.

After more than a year of not knowing what he was- human or ghost, hero or villain- he was finally found.

**AN:**

**Hey! pale-blue11 here!**

**It's Tuesday, and as promised, here's an update :) I ****_was _****going to write more for ****_Some Mistakes_**** but... I've been particularly lazy lately, and this was already written :)**

**I'm not so happy with this one O.o could've been better... Such a great word, and this is all I could do :( Thanks goes to Ghostfudge160!**

**Please review, favourite and/or follow :) please? And maybe some more words :) I already have 'escape' done!**

**Have a nice day! And to all the ****_lucky_**** Australian students, welcome back to school!**

**pale-blue11**


	8. Escape

**Escape**

His body flailed violently on the experiment table. He knew it was inevitable; he knew he would end up here one day. The anti-ghost harnesses that trapped his wrists and ankles did nothing to stop his voice, however. It was his only weapon.

"Why are you doing this?" He spat out angrily, glaring at his parents. "_How_ are you doing this?"

They didn't reply, just kept fiddling with something out of his range of vision, preparing for his vivisection.

"Talk to me!"

Still nothing. Danny groaned in frustration and let his head fall back onto the table with a loud, metallic clang. Feeling satisfied with the noise it had made, he did it again. And again. Soon, though, it began to hurt. While his human form was certainly stronger than average, it was nowhere near as strong as Phantom. Danny wished that was how they had caught him- it would have made everything simpler.

His blue eyes flew wide open as footsteps approached him from behind. Gradually, the small, blue shape came into focus. She was holding a scalpel.

Danny's head turned quickly to his right, so fast that he could hear the bones in his neck creak in protest. His father stood on the other side, ready with the ecto-gun.

The boy's attention was diverted back to his mother as her cold, gloved hands pulled back his shirt to reveal his stomach. He shuddered at the touch, and that shudder turned into a fit as her other hand also came closer. The scalpel glinted, razor sharp, deadly, in the bright, fluorescent lighting of the lab. A heavy object pinned Danny to the table, keeping him in place. He looked up into his father's blank, determined face, silently begging him to stop. Desperation wormed its way into Danny's mind, leaving unwanted thoughts in its wake.

_You deserve this for not telling them._

_What will your friends think when you don't show up for school tomorrow?_

_It's all your fault._

What were they going to do with him?

The scalpel was less than a centimetre from his stomach, causing his breath to speed up into loud, terrified gasps. Closing his eyes, Danny attempted to calm down. When he felt the cold tip of the dissection knife touch his skin, he couldn't stop his defensive instincts from kicking in.

"What kind of sick animals are you?" He spat. The scalpel lifted in surprise, but he didn't see it. "I'm your son!"

Jack chuckled darkly, pressing down harder on Danny's already aching shoulders. "And yet, that won't make this any harder, will it, dear?"

"Don't talk to Danny, Jack."

_Danny_. Not the ghost boy, _not Phantom... Danny._ The familiarity in her voice sickened him, ending his brief moment of courage.

"Please don't," he whispered, unable to raise his voice any higher. "Please d-don't do this."

_Don't talk to Danny._

They ignored him, instead conversing amongst themselves. Danny wished he could cover his ears, block out what they were saying, but of course that would have been too merciful of them.

"How do you think the changing process works, Jack?"

"I'm not sure, Mads. How do we test this?"

Danny's eyes opened so fast that he could feel skin tearing. He knew they must be green in fear, but he couldn't close them.

Maddie gasped and forgot about the scalpel. "Jack, look! He can change elements of his appearance even in human form!"

"Mainly his eyes," Jack murmured leaning in closer to examine Danny's face. "Why don't we start here?"

Maddie toyed with the scalpel, being wary of it's sharp blade. "That's a good idea, honey."

The scalpel came closer and closer. Danny started to shake his head from side to side, but Jack just held it in place. His hands balled into fists and feet kicked violently, but the ghost hunters weren't concerned with that. It was his face they were focused on.

"No," Danny muttered quietly. The small sound built to a yell. "No, n-no, no!"

The scalpel entered glowing eye, scraping along its surface, turning Danny's yells into unintelligible screams.

Their sample complete, the ghost hunters turned away from their son. They left him trembling and sobbing on the examination table, blood and ectoplasm running down his face along with his tears. His limbs were jerking out of his control, but the harnesses were as tight as ever.

Beneath his cries of pain and anguish, he could hear his parents voices. They were coming back, with weapons in their hands.

There was no escape for him now.

**AN:**

**Hey! pale-blue11 here!**

**Wow... how short is this one? I forgot I had it! But when Tuesday's almost over and you haven't done anything, you think of stuff like this! Do you want to know who's fault this is? Deborahpflover's! She suggested this theme (thanks :)) and also introduced me to ****_Fairy Tail_****. It's amazing. I'm off to watch it now :D**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited and/or followed!**

**Ghostfudge160- thanks for reviewing so often! I'm glad you liked it :) and thank you for the new words!**

**All of these will be quite short for a while. I'm re-writing my first story because I've realised just how awful it is D: The re-write should be better... I hope...**

**Anyway, thanks so much for reading!**

**And have a good day!**

**pale-blue11**

**(What's that noise? O.o)**


	9. They Come Every Night

**They Come Every Night**

**WARNING- this one is fairly... graphic. I wrote it as a way to scare my friends.**

**Things to know:**

**-Lily is an OC that will never return. She was Sam's friend back when they were young.**

**-That is all.**

Sam's silk pyjamas swished against each other with every move. With a glass of warm milk in hand, already she could feel its calming effects working wonders on her. As she opened her bedroom door, a yawn stretched her mouth wide. She paused, then continued on.

The bed was a welcome relief. Sam was exhausted, tired beyond what she had thought possible. After hours and hours of being forced to shop with her mother, she deserved a rest.

With a groan, she fell into the cool sheets, placing her mug onto the bedside table. She watched the steam curl from its surface, making its way to the high ceiling. It never made it there, instead disappearing just inches above the milk. The slow, lazy patterns it created were mesmerising, absolutely captivating to watch.

The room grew dimmer, darker, as Sam's eyes drifted shut. Thoughts of steam rising off of her milk turned to dreams of fires. Of people running for their lives from the merciless flames.

Sam smiled.

**DPDPDPDP**

It was the fire that woke her. She could hear its quiet crackling through her dreams, piercing her mind with one thought:

_Run._

Sam sat up straight in her bed, blanket falling away over the sides in her panic. The flames flickered, but then grew thin.

She was left looking at nothing more than the three blood red candles she kept burning through the night.

But the sounds were still there. Harsh whispers, quiet and hushed, muffled to her ears. Someone was there. Someone was lurking beneath her bed, hiding in her cupboards, floating outside her window. They were waiting, she knew, waiting for her to leap out of bed. They wanted her to fly down the hallway, screaming and terrified. They wanted to chase her, knocking pictures off of walls, breaking glass, and shattering precious family heirlooms. They wanted her to be more than scared. They wanted her to be _petrified_.

Sam lay back down, too afraid to pull up the blankets and cover herself from their predatory gaze.

"There's nothing there," she muttered, closing her eyes. The whispers died down, as if by a certain demand. "There's _nothing _there."

There was silence. Sam shivered, not quite daring to reach down and grasp the blankets. As with most- if not all- fictional monsters, this one lived beneath her bed.

"Sam," came the whisper. It was quiet, but it managed to freeze her in place. That wasn't from under her bed, it was…

"Sam," it called, sounding as if it came from a long distance. "Why won't you play with me, Sam? Sam?"

"No," the living girl breathed as the apparition shimmered into existence.

It floated at the far end of her room, a few inches above the ground. The candle flames were still visible through the limp silver dress she wore.

"You promised me, Sam," the little girl pouted. Her blonde hair danced around her in an imaginary wind, but this was no figment of the imagination. This was real. "You promised that you would come and play."

"B-but that w-was before you-"

"Died?" the girl floated closer. "And why would that make a difference?"

Sam didn't reply. Tears were flowing freely down her pale face, leaving damning marks on her skin.

Rolling her luminous gold eyes, the ghost spun around and drifted back to the candles.

Sam's breath caught in her throat, guilt overwhelming her. The girl's back was a crimson mess, the blood as red and wet as the second it had been spilt.

"You said you would meet me there," the girl said, sounding distracted. She passed her transparent hands through the flames, watching as they danced. "At the park," her neck twisted, body remaining stationary. Those golden eyes, which should be filled with innocence, were now filled with anger and pain. "But you didn't come, did you, Sam? Not until it was too late."

"No!" Sam cried, crawling backwards until she hit the wall. "I _told _you! I couldn't come that night, Lily!"

"They came, though," Lily hissed. "The men with guns."

Sam sobbed and covered her face with her hands. "Stop it… p-please…"

"They come every night, Sam," the ghost wept, all anger gone. "They hunt me… Sam, please don't leave me alone again."

Sam sniffled, then looked up. Lily was seated at the foot of her bed. The young seven-year-old's expression was lost.

"Can you help me?"

Sam stammered uselessly, unable to form thoughts, let alone words.

"Sam, please!" Lily sobbed. "Sam…"

Her small hands reached up to her pretty face, clawing at her cheeks. Her nails left red marks behind them.

"They come every night…"

One nail punctured her skin, digging in deep.

"Sam…"

She dragged it down, leaving a large wound it its place. Blood flowed from it, dripping down her face and spattering onto the pristine blankets.

"They hunt me…"

The remaining nine fingers also cut into her cheeks. Wasting no time, Lily stared right into Sam's eyes and tugged downwards. The bottom half of her face was a shredded mess. Tears ran through the raw crevices as she whispered the final words.

"Sam…

"_Please don't leave me alone again."_

Then, just as suddenly as she had come, Lily disappeared.

Sam stared at the end of her bed. The blood had gone, but it still felt dirty, contaminated. He breath was coming in heaving gasps, shaking from the force of the tears that were causing her throat to shrink.

Finally, the room started to heat up. Sam hadn't even noticed how cold it had been, but now that the warmth was back, she found herself feeling slightly more relaxed. Maybe there was a chance that she might be able to sleep again, though it was unlikely.

With a trembling hand, Sam reached for the sheets that she had abandoned earlier. Her mug of milk sat on the bedside table, untouched. Though now the contents were cold and unappealing.

Feeling as if something warm to drink might help even more, Sam swung her legs down to touch the floor. As soon as her toes met the carpet, the candles were extinguished.

Now in darkness, Sam's fear returned, almost as strong as before. There was a loud clatter, then a sickening slapping sound.

The lights turned on, illuminating the far corner of the room. Three blood red candles were rolling on the ground, wax spilt all over the carpet. But that wasn't what Sam's terrified eyes were fixed on.

A bloody handprint marred the clean surface of the wall, dripping slightly.

_It's just the candle wax_, Sam tried to convince herself. _She's not here anymore._

But it was no use.

She started to scream.

**AN:**

**Hey! pale-blue11 here!**

**My friends challenged me. We all had to write a story, and the creepiest one won. You can tell me what you think happened :)**

**I chose the name 'Lily' because of that episode _Life Lessons_, when Sam named the flour sack Lilith. I don't know, really :/**

**I've actually got a similar version of this story on my computer somewhere, and I'm thinking about putting that up too...**

**Thank you for all the reviews! And I didn't know you had a profile Ghostfudge160 :O I'll check it out! (But not too soon- my ipod's not letting me onto FanFiction and now I have to use the laptop -_-)**

**Thanks for reading, guys! I'll probably be putting stuff like this one up quite a lot. My friends are planning a new competition soon! :D**

**Have a nice day!**

**pale-blue11**


	10. No Time to Heal

Danny blinked tiredly, noticing the throbbing pain in his head whenever he opened his eyes. He winced.

"Ah, you're awake."

Danny's mind sharpened in an instant, becoming clear and focused. He sat up quickly and turned to face the speaker. "Plasmius. What are you doing this time?"

The man didn't reply, instead walking further into what Danny recognised as his lab. His silver ponytail taunted the ghost boy. Why hadn't Vlad changed forms? Did he really think that little of the younger halfa?  
"Hey!" Danny called, floating to his feet. "Fruit loop, come back! Or have you _finally_ gotten sick of the sound of your own voice?"

"That's not it, Little Badger," Vlad spoke quietly. Danny growled and flew across the lab, an ectoblast already charging in his loose fist. But soon, the light fizzled out and the energy disappeared.

"Huh?" the ghost boy fell to the floor, hitting his head on the hard tiles. All around him, he could see the bars of a cage. Even without a good look, Danny knew them to be ghost-proof. There was no way Vlad would overlook a detail as trivial as that. It wasn't long before darkness stole Danny's vision, plunging him deep into a fitful rest.

**DPDPDPDP**

"… For you. I really don't mind what you decide to do with him, of course, just as long as _some_ amount of good is able to come out of this."

Danny kept his eyes closed. That was Vlad's voice, but he didn't know who he could be talking to. Something told him that he really didn't _want _to know. The answer came all too soon.

"How did you manage to catch it?" Maddie asked. Danny's breathing stopped, the hair on the back of his neck standing up.

"Oh, it wasn't too hard," Vlad chuckled. "I just watched my good friend Jack, here, and learnt so much."

"Always glad to help, V-Man."

The room lapsed into silence, only the sound of Danny's panicked breaths to break it. The lab smelt like burning ectoplasm and was slightly metallic. He hoped that the smell meant nothing more than the usual experiments.

Then Vlad sighed. "Wake up, Daniel. We know you've been listening to us."

Danny's eyes crept open. He was lying on his side on the ground, the cage still surrounding him, draining his energy.

"I'm tired," he tried to say, but there was something that prevented him from uttering a single word. He watched as his mother turned to his mortal enemy.

"Is that normal?"

"Of course it is!" Vlad reassured them, ignoring Danny's glare. "I'm no expert in these ghostly matters, after all, but isn't it better that he can't move? That way… he can't fight back."

Danny's angry and indignant expression faded, fear stealing away his fury.

"I guess you're right," Maddie sighed. "We need to get that ghost out of him- no matter what."

_Get that ghost out of…_

_Wait, no!_

Danny scrambled to his knees and shuffled over to the edge of the cage. He bit back a scream as one of the bars crackled with a black light that shot up his arm. Paying no attention to the shudders that were running up and down his body, the ghost boy tugged on the metal rod. With each moment he spent touching it, the light, and therefore the energy, increased and became more painful.

But he wouldn't give up.

Danny was going numb, not even able to feel the energy that was turning his skin black, melting the jumpsuit from his skin.

"Danny, no!" He heard someone scream, but he wasn't sure who it was. Seconds later, two figures rushed into his sight, bending down in front of his convulsing body.

"Danny, don't," they said, each word full of panic and desperation. "Let go of that!"

"Mum?" He whispered silently, the inaudible words placing a wound on his heart that wouldn't have time to heal. "Dad?"

"We'll get this ghost out of you, Danny," they promised. A pair of hands approached the cage, but quickly pulled back. "We can make you normal again."

And suddenly it was like a valve was opened in Danny, letting loose all of the things that he had felt, but never known.

"_I don't want to be normal again_," he spoke, projecting his thoughts directly into their minds. "_I wanted to be this. I was a hero. I was helping."_

Another flash of black lightning shot down his arms. Danny threw his head back and gasped, but then settled his gaze onto his parents once more. He hoped that they would be able to see the pain in his eyes, but also the understanding.

"_Don't feel too bad. I never really explained. But Phantom is as much a part of me as Fenton is… was…"_

"No," they whispered. "He's just a ghost. Please, just let go of the cage and we can fix everything. We'll be a family again."

Despite the hurt those words caused him, Danny smiled. "_We're a family _now_. I'll always love you, even if you don't love me anymore._

_"I'm just so… tired…"_

"Danny!" He heard them cry. Their hands clawed at him, ignorant of the energy that burnt them. "Danny, come back."

"_Don't… get too close…"_ he whispered as his eyes slipped shut. "_I don't want to… see you get hurt…_

_"You need to find a new hero."_

**AN:**

**Hey! pale-blue11 here!**

**I'm tired. That's why I'm not spending more time on this. Literally half an hour. I might come back and do this again later. And (if there's anyone who noticed :P) I was really sick last week, sorry.**

**So thank you to everyone who paid attention to this story! Especially the reviewers :)**

**Please review again!**

And have a nice day!

**pale-blue11**


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